Thursday, October 29, 2026
Jim Collins found that companies which broke away from average performance could name, with brutal precision, what they could be best in the world at. Here's the three-circle test and the goal that pairs with it.
You've said "fine" more times this month than you can count. Your partner asked how work is going, and you gave them the short answer, because the long answer would mean admitting how tight things actually are, and you didn't want to put that on them too. You're not hiding it because you're weak. You're hiding it because you genuinely believe carrying it alone is the responsible thing to do. It isn't, and you don't have to prove anything by doing this by yourself.
Nearly half of US small business owners, 43%, say they've hidden business stress from a partner or family member, according to Xero's Emotional Tax Return 2026, as reported by CPA Practice Advisor. That's not a character flaw showing up in the data. It's a myth showing up in the data — the idea that an owner is supposed to have all the answers, alone, and that asking for outside perspective is somehow an admission that you can't handle your own business. I don't believe that, and I've never believed it less than after founding or co-founding nine companies, some very successful and some genuine failures.
Here's something I don't lead with often: I hired my own coach, through The Icehouse, specifically to accelerate my own growth. Not because my businesses were failing — because I knew that no matter how much I'd learned at agencies like DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi and Saatchi, or across nine companies founded or co-founded, I still couldn't see my own blind spots from inside them. An outside, experienced eye isn't a sign you've run out of ideas. It's the fastest way to find the one you've been missing.
"Keeping me sane and focused during uncertain times."
— Rachel Williams, Icehouse Coaching Programme
Knowing the myth is a myth doesn't automatically make it easier to speak up. Most owners understand, intellectually, that a confidential outside sounding board would help. They stay quiet anyway, because the first conversation feels like the hardest one — harder, often, than the problem itself. That first conversation is exactly where a coach's job actually starts: not fixing your business in the first session, just being the one person you can say the real number to, without it landing on your family's shoulders.
This isn't for you if you've decided no one else could possibly understand your business well enough to help. It's for you if you're ready to stop carrying it entirely by yourself.
If there's a number you haven't said out loud to anyone yet, that's exactly the conversation we start with.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME strategies are really just revenue wishlists with no diagnosis behind them. Here is the three-part test that separates a real strategy from a wish, and what to fix first if yours fails it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
94% of small businesses using AI across multiple functions have cut spending on marketing, data and bookkeeping, and they are more confident than ever. Here is the three-question audit to run before you cut judgment along with the invoice.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Chasing a poor-fit customer to hit a year-end number rarely pays off. Here is the Right-Fit Growth Filter SME owners use before saying yes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
High satisfaction with your business coach does not guarantee progress. Here is the yearly Re-Contracting Conversation that keeps coaching sharp.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
We'll sort it in the new year is quietly stalling more small businesses than any competitor. Here is the Now-or-January Test that fixes it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
A 10 percent discount can need 46 percent more sales volume just to break even. Here is the Quota-Protection Plan for small business sales teams.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Referred customers buy four times more often, yet most happy customers are never asked. Here is the Post-Purchase Sequence that fixes it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Your best quarter can hide the same problems as your worst one. Here is the five-step Success Audit SME owners use to pressure-test growth before it plateaus.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
You just gave someone a raise to keep them, and they left anyway. A new US survey shows a 21-point gap between what owners think keeps their team and what actually does.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Small Business Saturday falls just 27 days before Christmas this year, one of the shortest holiday windows in years. Here's the three-step margin check to run before Q4 locks in your pricing mistakes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Acquiring a new customer costs five to seven times more than growing revenue from an existing one. Here is the share-of-wallet audit that finds it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Most coaches say yes to everyone who can pay them. Here is the real test for whether a business coach is actually right for your business.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
The average knowledge worker gets barely an hour of uninterrupted time a day. Here is the meeting-free day protocol that gives your team room to think.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
A verbal yes is not a closed deal, and more than 40 percent of B2B deals stall in the gap between agreement and signature. Here is how to close it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Ninety percent of blog content gets zero traffic from Google, and most SME blogs are no exception. Here is the content-market fit audit that fixes it.